Monthly Archives: February 2011

Well really nothing much today… spent a great day hanging with the family. Did a little work on the blog, but really not a Scouting day.I posted earlier today about the FISH program. I really encourage you to follow those links and see what they have to offer. I am not sponsored or get a push from them.. but I love their philosophy.So check it out.Now on to your Scouting habit…Remember that when the family (Wife) is happy.. you can do Scouting! So don’t forget about Valentines day!Took my family out for a Valentines dinner tonight… it was nice a relaxing and a great night out with the wife and kids.OK… lets all make a commitment to have a Great Scouting Week!

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>Days 4, 5, and 6 were eventful and plenty of good Scouting Moments…Unfortunately I have not taken the time, till now to sit down and jot down the thoughts… well I am going to claim that time and space was the reason. Friday (day 4) was my Birthday.. and I made a pretty good attempt at not being on the computer.. between a very full day at work and going out to dinner with my family, Friday and posting on the blog just was not going to happen…But Friday did allow for some pretty good moments in my Scouting life. I am going to call days 4, 5, and 6.. Wood Badge days.Friday, I answered questions via phone from 6 Scouters from our district regarding the upcoming Wood Badge course. I shared with them what they could expect from the course and how it has impacted my life. Wood Badge has been one thing that as a Scouter I can point to and say has impacted every part of my adult life. Camping, teaching scouts, National Jamboree, being a District trainer.. none of that compared to the lasting impact that Wood Badge has had on me as a person, a Dad, an employee, and of course as a Scouter.So then Saturday was our Wood Badge Staff development training. I can go on an on about it.. but lets just say that in the context of Wood Badge and Scouting.. the Troop Guides (and Staff in general) moved a step closer to being a “High Performance Team”. We practiced presentations, got to know one another a bit more.. ate a nice meal.. and watched a video called FISH!… I can honestly say that one video made my day. FISH is a video that introduces the institutional philosophy of a Fish marker in Seattle, Washington. Essentially they have 4 principles, and I won’t go into great detail in this post, but these four principles are the driving force in the success of their business. They are simple and tested to be effective and while I know that I use them in my everyday life currently, I will make an effort to do it more in the future.The principles are: Play, Make their Day, Be there, and Choose your attitude. If your organization (Pack, Troop, Crew, District) wants more information.. and I think you do.. hit that link I put up.. or this one LINK!Anyway.. the FISH presentation made my day yesterday.. and that is my Scouting moment for Saturday.Today is Sunday.. and I suppose I will have to recap the goings on of today later.All I can say for certain is that every time I come out of a Wood Badge event.. my batteries are charged and I am better for it.Have a Great Scouting Day!

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>I received a phone call yesterday from one of my Scouts.. the name is not important, neither is his age, he is a Scout and has enough confidence in his Scoutmaster to give him a call when he needs an answer to life’s pressing questions.He started the call by explaining to me that I was the only one that could answer this question that he knew. The question, is it ok for a man to cry?He explained that a coach at school had told him that grown men don’t cry and that if he wanted crying was a sign that he was weak. He went on to say that he had never seen his Dad cry.. so it must not be ok.Well, I told him.. grown men do cry and it perfectly ok to cry. There are moments in your life that you should cry and there are times where if you don’t.. well… I would suggest you have no feelings.I shared some examples of the toughest guys I know breaking down and crying. I told him a story of the first time I drove through the town of Safwan Iraq, the most desolate, run down, absolute impoverished place I have I ever seen. Starving kids standing along a stretch of road begging us to throw them food. I was a Command Sergeant Major heading North into the interior of Iraq with my Battalion. The driver of my HUMMV was a tough son of gun… I had seen him in plenty of situations that would make a burly biker flinch.. and he was sobbing. As was I.I cried when my kids were born, all of them, and I cry at movies that tear at my heart strings.Crying is a healthy sign of emotions. It means you are normal and that your care. It means that you have empathy and that you can moved to tears. It releases fear and and pain and anxiety.It pleases me that he has confidence in me that he can call and ask these kinds of questions.The Scope of a Scoutmasters job goes way beyond knots and first aid.Have a Great Scouting Day!

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>Another Great Scouting Day.Round Table tonight was fun, I made an announcement for the up coming Wood Badge course, answered some questions regarding Wood Badge.Promoted the 2013 National Scouting Jamboree.Assisted in the Boy Scout break out.. we talked about planning and preparing for a 50 miler. I talked about contingency plans, maps, and information that you leave behind. I also shared information of the SPOT.Talked with some of the Scouts from the OA chapter about Rendezvous coming up.Answered more questions about Wood Badge and even got a Committee Chair from one of the Troops to race home and register.So all in all.. it was a great Round table and a fantastic Day of Scouting.Tomorrow I will share a conversation I had earlier today with a Scout.. It really brings to light the full scope of Scoutmastership.Have a Great Scouting Day!

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>Patches have been a long lasting tradition in Scouting.. not only are they fun to trade, sew on a patch blanket, or wear on a jacket or uniform.. they are the colorful story of Scouting. Each patch designed to represent the area, the event, the flavor of a time. For 101 years patches in Scouting have represented achievement, service, commitment, and lots of camping. Patches have taken us down the path of Historic trails, 50 mile treks, food collections, hundreds of learning opportunities, and to the rank of Eagle.Now not all Scouts and Scouters are collectors of patches, I am, but whether a collector or not, patches have played an important role in Scouting and I would venture to guess they always will.I have always collected or at least held on to Scouting patches and never really gave them to much thought, until the 2010 National Jamboree. I became an official Patch nut.At the National Jamboree I really saw the value of Scout Patches. Friendship. Thousands of Scouts and Scouters that would spend countless hours in conversation over patches. Trading, sharing, and making friends along the way.Patches really do play a big part in telling our Scouting Story.Here are some patches from Camporee’s in our District.. they are not worth a whole lot in the trading world.. but they tell of some great camping experiences.

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There are a group of Scouters out there that have real nice Blogs (and Podcasts).. they have individually yet collectively decided to keep a running log of their activity that celebrate the next 100 days of Scouting… after all, just because it’s not the centennial anymore does not mean we should not kick off the next 100 with a special 100 days..

I guess most of bloggers have done this in one way or another.. I started with Scout Sunday and after seeing the list of great Scouters.. I am “Officially” joining their celebration with my blog.

I would invite every Scouter that blogs to do the same… and if you are not a blogger.. now is a great time to jump on board and start jotting down your thoughts, ideas, and open up the community of Scouting!

Now I am giving credit where credit is due.. the following list is the list of Scouters that blog from the Scoutsigns blog.. one that I follow and enjoy!

These are some great blogs and I highly encourage you to check them out. I have had the pleasure of meeting some of these folks personally, and I will tell you that I am proud to be counted in the same organization.Give it a Shot… Have a Great Scouting Day!

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>Its Wednesday, to many in my neighborhood all that means is it is garbage day, hump day, or just another day…But today is another opportunity for me to learn, grow, and live the Oath and Law. Its going to be tough, I know, but by tonight hopefully I will be able to lay my head down and “Guiltless Sleep tonight”. The other night as our Troop wrapped up the meeting with the singing of vespers.. I listened as the guys sang, after the meeting I did a Scoutmaster conference with a young man approaching his Life Rank. I asked him about the vespers song and if he listened to the words he was singing. He said sure.. especially the part of the Oath and Law being his guide. I concluded the conference with that phrase.. let the Oath and Law be your guide and you can’t go wrong.. you truly can sleep guilt free.Last night I took some time to work on Wood Badge stuff. I was working on the Listening to Learn presentation when it all hit me.. how well do I listen during the Scoutmaster conferences? How well do you listen?How well do you allow the Oath and Law to be your guide?Well, once again.. it will be a learning year for me.. and as a result, I will be a better Scoutmaster.Have a Great Scouting Day!

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>Nope.. not a class at Scouting University.. its the 101st Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. Over the hump and into the future.I had such a great time celebrating the 100th Anniversary last year. Jamboree was terrific.. but now we are heading into the future with the BSA.So what are you doing to be a part?For me, its all about grooming the future, the future of Scouting, teaching and coaching future leaders, citizens, men. And helping teach the Scout leaders to deliver the promise of Scouting!Kind of like writing a Wood Badge ticket and seeing it through.. this year my goal is to teach.Scouts, Scout leaders, and help the audience of the blog and podcast with their Scouting goals. Not that I know everything, but a big part of teaching is learning.. and so I am going to learn more.. and more…101 years old… Well Done BSA!!Have a Great Scouting Day!

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>Here is something I picked up from my Wood Badge course back in 2005. I stumbled on it again the other day as I was going through course material in preparation for the upcoming Wood Badge course… thought I’d share it. Enjoy.The Present

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!!!!Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against the “tomorrow”.You must live in the present on today’s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success! The clock is running. Make the most of today.

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train.To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics.

Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time.And remember that time waits for no one. Yesterday is history Tomorrow is mystery Today is a gift That’s why it’s called the present!!And that my friends is why I finish each blog post and each podcast with…HAVE A GREAT SCOUTING DAY!

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